Good to know - Simple Tips for Better Health
Here are some easy-to-follow tips to support great health. Incorporate whatever seems right to do, leave the rest. Remember, even the smallest, positive health change can make a profound impact!
Tip #1 - Vim and Vinegar
In your quest for longevity, look to those who have found it. Apple cider vinegar has been a part of the health regimen of centenarians throughout the world. Its acetic and butyric acids promote gastrointestinal health by balancing pH and encouraging friendly bifico bacterial growth. Vinegar has antiseptic and antibiotic properties; it may also help to reverse atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and dissolve gall and kidney stones.
Tip #2 - Password to a Treasure of Health: Open Sesame!
The most common oil consumed by Chinese centenarians, sesame oil is enjoyed for its refined, nutty flavor but possesses therapeutic properties as well. Chinese medicine lists sesame as a kidney and liver tonic, a blood builder, and a bowel protector and regulator. Sesame is rich in phytic acid, an antioxidant that may prevent cancer. The oil of one variety, lignan sesamin, was found to drastically reduce cholesterol levels in the liver and blood stream of rats. To enhance flavors and improve health, sprinkle sesame seeds and oil in your food regularly.
Tip #3 - Growth Hormone from Eggs and Grains
Human growth hormone (hGH) has moved ot the forefront of anti-aging treatment, dramatically improving many elderly patients' lives. Primarily used to treat children with delayed growth, hGH also aids the frail by improving healing, tissue repair, brain function, bone strength, energy, and metabolism in general. Its benefits, however, come at a high price: a decided increase in the risk of cancer. Only if the patient's body no longer responds to natural stimulation - nutritional and herbal supplements, acupuncture and energy-enhancement exercises - will I suggest such therapy. For the majority, I recommend boosting the natural production of hGH with GABA, or gamma aminobutyric acid. An excellent substitute for growth hormone, GABA is a nonessential amino acid found in soy and other beans, seafood, whole grains, eggs, brewer's yeast, nuts and seeds. Especially after exercise, eating GABA-rich foods stimulates the pituitary to secrete hGH.
Tip #4 - Nuts and Seeds Keep You Young
Just a handful of nuts and seeds every day can help improve circulation and muscle tone. Arginine is an amino acid found in soy and other beans, seafood, whole grains, eggs, dairy, brewer's yeast, and especially abundantly in nuts and seeds. It is a nonessential amino acid, a substance our bodies produce in the liver and deplete during times of stress. Arginine is helpful in fighting heart disease, impotentce, infertility, and high blood pressure as well as facilitating the healing process. Its anti-aging properties may lie in its stimulant effect on the pituitary gland at the base of the brain. The pituitary releases growth hormone, which declines rapidly in humans after age thirty-five. Lower levels of growth hormone contribute to symptoms of aging such as fat deposits, decreased muscle mass and strength, cognitive decline, and sexual dysfunction.
Tip #5 - Don't Kill Your Food
To get the most out of the good things in your foods, treat them gently. HIgh heat cooks away many important nutrients. Boiling, for instance, can destroy half of the vitamins found in vegetables. Deep-frying yields fatty foods and produces the worst kind of fat - trans fat - which can clog your arteries and increase your risk of cancer. Similarly, your cancer risk may rise if you make a habit of eating barbecued or grilled meat that is burnt or blackened. Try not to kill your food with too much fire. Instead, lightly steam, quickly stir-fry, or broil foods to preserve their nutritional value.
Tip #6 - "Anti-Rust" Nutrients
Aging causes oxidation, which literally means rusting. As you get older, "rust" forms everywhere in your body in the form of waste buildup - uric acid from digesting protein, lactic acid from muscle use, carcinogens ingested or inhaled from the environment - resulting in creaky, painful joints and clogged arteries. Antioxidants are "anti-rust" nutrients that neutralize and remove the free radicals that cause oxidative damage. Among the many antioxidant nutrients, glutathione is considered the "master antioxidant". A naturally occurring compound fond in asparagus, avocado, walnuts, and fish, it is composed of three amino acids: glycine, glutamic acid and cysteine. Glutatione regulates immune cells, protects against cancer, aids DNA synthesis and repair, assists in detoxifying, and inhibits the activation of dormont HIV virus. A deficiency in glutathione can be a factor in diabetes, lower sperm count, liver disease, heart disease, and premature aging.
Source: Sullivan Acupuncture - www.sullivanacupuncture.com